Start a tiny business for three months

"What if you tested a business idea with a €200 limit?"

Why this is so fun

There is something quietly electric about a stranger handing you money for something you made or did yourself. Running a tiny business for three months strips away all the theory and shows you fast what you are actually good at and what you absolutely hate. You will make mistakes that cost you a fiver, not a fortune, and those lessons stick. Whether you are flogging handmade candles at a Galway market or doing gigs on a local Facebook group, you come out the other side knowing yourself a good bit better than before.

Someone who did this

Barry (32), Kilkenny — warehouse supervisor at a building suppliers, restores old furniture on weekends

I had a half-finished side table sitting in the garage for about eight months before my girlfriend said, fairly bluntly, that I should either sell the thing or stop complaining about never having any money.

Become a member to read the full story

Premium members can read a short experience on every card.

First 3 steps

1Visit your Local Enterprise Office website and check free online training this week.
2Write one sentence describing what you sell, who buys it, and why they care.
3Open a separate bank account or revolut pot to track every euro spent and earned.